human life is to develop unalloyed love for Krsna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

Lord Caitanya’s teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, the original
propounder of safkhya-yoga, the sarkhya system of philosophy. This authorized
system of yoga recommends meditation on the transcendental form of the Lord.
There is no question of meditating on something void or impersonal. One can
meditate on the transcendental form of Lord Visnu even without practicing involved
sitting postures. Such meditation is called perfect samadhi. This perfect samadhi is
verified at the end of the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gitd where Lord Krsna says:
“And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in
transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the
highest of all.” (Bg. 6.47)

Lord Caitanya instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of acintya-
bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one
with and different from His creation. Lord Caitanya taught this philosophy through
the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the
Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute
whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form.
Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the
Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices this sound vibration, he passes
through three stages of development: the offensive stage, the clearing stage and the
transcendental stage. In the offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material
happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material contamination.
When one is situated on the transcendental stage, he attains the most coveted
position—the stage of loving God. Lord Caitanya taught that this is the highest
stage of perfection for human beings.

Yoga practice is essentially meant for controlling the senses. The central control-
ling factor of all the senses is the mind; therefore one first has to practice controlling
the mind by engaging it in Krsma consciousness. The gross activities of the mind are
expressed through the external senses either for the acquiring of knowledge or the
functioning of the senses in accordance to the will. The subtle activities of the mind
are thinking, feeling and willing. ln accordance to one’s consciousness, the indi-
vidual is either polluted or clear. If one’s mind is fixed on Krsna (His name, quality,
form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one’s activities—both subtle and
gross—become favorable. The Bhagavad-gita’s process of purifying consciousness is
the process of fixing one’s mind on Krsna by talking of His transcendental activities,
cleansing His temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form
of the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting food
offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers and tulas7
leaves offered Him, engaging in activities for the Lord’s interest, etc. No one can
bring the activities of the mind and senses to a stop, but one can purify these
activities through a change in consciousness. This change is indicated in Bhagavad-
gita when Krsna tells Arjuna of the knowledge of yoga whereby one can work
without fruitive results. ““O son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you
